15 Remarkable Types of Caterpillars and What They Become
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Hag Moth (Monkey Slug) Caterpillar
A tan colored monkey slug (hag moth) caterpillar with spider-like legs on a green leaf
Greg Dwyer / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5
At first glance, you might mistake the hag moth caterpillar for a hairy spider. More commonly known as a monkey slug caterpillar, this creature is in a realm all its own. It really doesn't resemble any other caterpillar with its flattened hairy brown body, six pairs of curly, tentacle-like legs (three short and three long), and hairy protuberances sprouting from its head. Those hairs sting, causing irritation and an allergic reaction, particularly in sensitive people.17
Curiously, when this caterpillar makes its cocoon, its appendages are transferred to the outside of the cocoon to give it protection and camouflage.18 This bizarre-looking caterpillar transforms into the decidedly less bizarre and innocuous hag moth with its small hairy body and pale tufts on its legs.
A brown hag moth with furry legs on a metal surface
Hag moth. Donald Hoburn / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
of 10
Hag Moth (Monkey Slug) Caterpillar
A tan colored monkey slug (hag moth) caterpillar with spider-like legs on a green leaf
Greg Dwyer / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5
At first glance, you might mistake the hag moth caterpillar for a hairy spider. More commonly known as a monkey slug caterpillar, this creature is in a realm all its own. It really doesn't resemble any other caterpillar with its flattened hairy brown body, six pairs of curly, tentacle-like legs (three short and three long), and hairy protuberances sprouting from its head. Those hairs sting, causing irritation and an allergic reaction, particularly in sensitive people.17
Curiously, when this caterpillar makes its cocoon, its appendages are transferred to the outside of the cocoon to give it protection and camouflage.18 This bizarre-looking caterpillar transforms into the decidedly less bizarre and innocuous hag moth with its small hairy body and pale tufts on its legs.
A brown hag moth with furry legs on a metal surface
Hag moth. Donald Hoburn / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
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11 December 2022
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